


Tuning In

by orphan_account



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst (?), Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blogger - Freeform, Blogs, Daydreaming, Human!Kiibo, Lovesickness, M/M, Mutual Pining, Photography, Slow Burn, awful pacing rip, kiibo instead of keebo, livestreamer, livestreams, my first time writing a slow burn uwu, ouma not oma smh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-10-06 18:10:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17350085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: **Temporary note- read the second chapter ('not a chapter') to see why it's taking me a while to update this story.~~Kiibo is a photographer in love. Kokichi is an oblivious video game streamer.What could go wrong?





	1. 💖one

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time writing a slow burn,,,so the pacing may be off lol  
> also my first time completely developing an AU and writing for it. KATastrofic222 helped me out alot with the development of this AU, so a nice thanks to her -w-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But how will he ever notice me? I'm sure that after every donation I make, he forgets I even exist.

Ouma Kokichi. 

A streamer on Twitch with over 10 million followers, and only 19 years old. 

Ah, of course. I'm already talking about him, and I haven't even introduced myself yet...

My name is Kiibo Iidabashi. I'm studying Photography, and I run a small  ~~~~blog on it. I'm not that popular, but I have my own little community. I'm fine the way I am. I don't need a bunch of fans, anyway.

How does he do it?

10 million other people watching him play video games. 10 million people with their eyes always on him.

Who can blame them, though? He's beautiful. 

The way his mauve hair juts out from all sides of his head. The way his cute bangs fall over his gorgeous eyes. His cute little giggles when he sees a stupidly funny donation message. 

I never cared much about video games- that is, until I started watching his livestreams. 

I tune in every day- he plays all sorts of videos games. RPGs, shooter games, MMOs- just about anything.

He's so adorably _eccentric._ And... _funny._

I just wish he'd tell the truth a bit more... 

 _"Psh! Of course I have a girlfriend,"_ he said in reply once to a question he received in the chat.  _"In fact, I have 7! No, 8. yeah, 8! And they're all beautiful blondes with perfect bodies,"_ he said proudly. 

Now, i'd be completely heartbroken by that statement if it wasn't so painfully _obvious_ that he was lying.

Body language, body language...

Averting his eyes from the camera. Hand-to-face contact. Self-grooming. Changing the story... and a rather vague explanation of his supposed girlfriends.

What an obvious lie.

He seems to tell lies often. He's always responding to the simplest questions in the most ridiculous ways.

_"Nishishi~ Actually, I have a mansion, not just a house! 3, actually! Normal houses are sooo boring..."_

_"Yeah, duh! I have a car. It's suuuuper expensive! Probably costs more than all of you guys's rent combined."_

...What a child. 

But, I guess that's why I like him. 

I guess that's why 10 million people like him. It's entertaining. It's funny. I can't deny that...

Ah... and his laugh... his sweet little laugh... 

It's more like a giggle. A child's giggle. A sweet, irreplaceable sound I'll never get tired of hearing.

Though his lying can be a nuisance, it doesn't interfere with how sweet he actually is. People are always making donations to him with whatever kind of messages they think of. 

Of course, I make donations too. Plenty! I just... make them a bit more meaningful than others do. I'm always reminding him to use the money to buy food and clothes, not just silly things he may use to entertain his fans.

...And I love the way he reads out my messages. 

 _"Donation from Iida_Kiibs! Thank you~"_ his usually sly expression quickly fell into a more serious one.  _"Ah... 'B-Be sure to buy yourself some food tonight'."_ He stumbled through the phrase while reading it- not like him at all. 

He seemed rather touched by it before quickly reverting back to his child-like demeanor, though I could still hear the uncertainty in his voice.  _"Jeez, Kiibs! I-I appreciate the donation, but loosen up a bit, eh? I'm fine on my own."_ he said, crossing his arms playfully. 

 _"I'm fine on my own,"_ the words rung through my head.

But I knew, of course, that was a lie too. 


	2. **not a chapter**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> author announcement/note thing. again, not a chapter

I don't really have a way to start this, so I'll just get straight to the point.  
On Thursday, I was put into suicide watch and was released a while later. Since then my mental health has been even WORSE than it already was before. I'm really tired, I'm lacking motivation, and school is still kicking my ass. I know alot of my internet friends read my stories, so that's also why I've been offline and not responding to messages. I wasn't ignoring you. Sorry if it seemed like that.  
I was gonna put this announcement on all of my works, but this is my first multi-chapter story that I actually put more work into, so I'm just putting it here. This note is temporary, so once my mental health improves, I will start writing again.  
A note for internet friends; do NOT message me asking/talking about this situation. my parents are constantly checking all of my social media (that they know about), and I don't want them to know I let people know about this happening since they think it's "embarrassing" that I got sent to suicide watch. If you want to talk to me about it, you can in the comments.  
I know author's notes and all that are old ass Wattpad-tier shit, but this is serious and I don't want people to think I gave up on this.  
Again, i will write for this again once my mental health improves. I will also go back onto social media once it does, but for now I need to rest.  
Thanks for listening to me whine.


	3. 💖two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...I wish he was mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you wanna see why it's taking me awhile to update this story, please read the last 'chapter'. i'm putting more effort into this story than my other ones, so it's taking more time to write for it even if the chapters aren't as long.
> 
> ,,,,,,,,,,i didn't proofread this.
> 
> also!!!!!!!!! in this story kiibo isn't as formal in his speech here because he's talking to people he knows well. he can be...... a chill boye,,,,,,,,,,,,,leave him b........
> 
> also-also!!!!!!! im highly considering discontinuing this story!!!!!!!! as much as i wanna continue it my writing is just,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,awful aaaaa,,,,,,,,,,,, sorry

The first thing I do every morning is check my phone. Maybe Tumblr notifications. Maybe my Twitter or my Snapchat to see what friends have sent me. It's routine at this point for me to just open my eyes and check out what happened while I was asleep. 

"Ah... message from Toujo-san..." I mumbled to nobody, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes sluggishly. 

**_Toujo Kirumi_ to _Iidabashi Kiibo_**

**Kirumi:** Good morning, Iidabashi-san. I hope I'm not texting you too early.

 **Kiibo:** Good morning, Toujo-san. You're not. In fact, I think I woke up rather late today. It's already 10pm. 

 **Kirumi:** It's fine. It's a lazy Saturday today, ha. I woke up at 8 today!

 **Kiibo:** At least we don't have work today. 

 **Kirumi:** Mhm. Anyways, I texted you earlier but you didn't respond.

I checked my messages from earlier this morning.  _Shit, she's right._

 **Kiibo:** I'm sorry I didn't respond!! I feel bad now lol.

 **Kirumi:** Haha don't worry! that's not your fault, you were probably just tired last night. You can't really control how long you sleep.

 **Kirumi:** Anyways, I have a question. 

 **Kiibo:** Sure.

 **Kirumi:** Iruma-san and her girlfriend are having a party tonight at their house. There's going to be plenty of people without designated drivers, so we need a few backup drivers. Are you free tonight? The party starts around 8pm, but knowing everyone attending, I'm sure we'll have to drive them back around 2-4am. Some of them might pass out as well, so we need people to stick around so they can drive the rest home.

 **Kiibo:** Let me check. I'm pretty sure I'm not busy this weekend. 

I closed my messages, flipping to the screen with my calendar.

_Mmm... nothing to do today. Nothing to do tomorrow, either. I mean, I was just gonna clean up a bit... meh, I can do it on Monday._

**Kiibo:**  Yep, I'm free. 

 **Kirumi:** Good! We just need 2 more drivers and we're good to go

 **Kiibo:** I remember Akamatsu-san and Chabashira-san saying they were free this weekend. Maybe I could ask them?

 **Kirumi:** Perfect. I'll ask them instead so you can rest until it's time to go to the party.

 **Kiibo:** Just how big is this party if we need more than two designated drivers? Lol

 **Kirumi:** That's what I thought when Yonaga-san told me about this, but then I remembered how big their new house is

 **Kiibo:** Yeesh. I haven't been to their parties since they moved into that house

 **Kiibo:** bo: Never got invited, either

 **Kirumi:** Nobody got invited. In fact, they haven't even had a party in that house yet. A few fans identified their house, and they were scared that if they held a party the fans would spread the word and wreak havoc...

 _Youch_.

Iruma-san is a model and social media influencer. She's got her fair share of money from that, and she's gained quite the fanbase. Her girlfriend, Yonaga-san, is an artist who grew famous from Instagram and YouTube and whatnot. 

Don't ask me to 'be more specific' about Yonaga-san. I have no idea what kind of artist I should call her. She does about everything, from sculpting to painting to carving to sketching. She's one of the most talented people I've ever met.

Iruma-san has been my friend since middle school, but I met Yonaga-san when they started dating.

 **Kiibo:** That's awful. Why can't people mind their own business?

 **Kirumi:** I thought the same thing, but luckily the fans said they wouldn't tell anyone about it. Let's just hope they keep their word.

I've always loved having a blog, but I'd hate for it to get popular. Being famous just seems like a huge burden to me. Imagine having a bunch of people know your relationship status or your height or where you went to school. It just creeps me out.

I'm happy how I am now.

...Ah, thinking about that...

It's the same burden Ouma-kun has to deal with.  
  
**Kiibo:** Smh. We always have Gokuhara-san and Nidai-san to keep them safe if things get out of hand, though

 **Kiibo:** I'll see you there, Toujo-san.

 **Kirumi:** Aha, that's true. Bye.  
  
What? You think I should've offered to bring something? 

Nope. At all the parties Iruma-san's hosted, she buys everything.

No, really. A rich person's house party isn't just anyone's house party.

Guess I better see what I'll wear tonight...

**~~**

"Kiibs! You're heeere!"

Right. I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"Good evening, Yonaga-san. Ah, where's Iruma-san?"

"Uh, She's somewhere in the kitchen getting the rest of the stuff out. You guys came over early!"

"We had some extra time," Kirumi said, giving a polite smile. "We figured you'd need some help setting up since your new house is so big..."

"Thank you! We do need some help. Maybe you can help out Miu with getting everything ready. She's setting up the food and drinks right now, so Kirumi can help her out! Kiibo, stay with me."

"Goodness. I'm not used to people just calling me 'Kirumi' yet." I heard the taller woman utter, making the shorter girl giggle.

"Well, she is Yonaga-san. We're close, it shouldn't matter now."

"I know," Kirumi sighed, looking up at Angie. "Yonaga-san, could you please lead me to the kitchen? I've only been here a few times."

"Right! It's just over there," Angie pointed towards a large room to the left of the foyer, looking back at the maid to make sure she saw.

"Ah, I didn't recognize it. Did you get it repainted or something?"

"Huuh? Why would we do that? It's barely been a few months since we got this house. I think you didn't recognize it because of the party stuff Miu took out."

"Ah, I see... Anyways, I'll see you in a bit, Iidabashi-san." Kirumi waved, heading towards the kitchen.

"Good luck, Toujo-san. Ah, right, what do you need, Yonaga-san?"

"..."

"Y-Yonaga-san...?"

Angie waited until Kirumi had entered the kitchen before turning back to me, giving me a blank stare. 

"'San' this, 'san' that. We're friends, aren't we? Just call me Angie."

"Whatever you say, Yona- I-I mean, Angie..."

She has these weird moments often- her eyes darken, a subtly intimidating air surrounds her. I have no idea how she's the same person who made and ate her own edible paint.

"Anyways, we don't have anything to do right now, so all we have to do is just sit and wait."

"Just sit and wait? Then we should probably go help out Iruma-san and Toujo-san--"

 "Actually, I have something I want to talk about."

Angie was abnormally serious today. Was something wrong?

"Sure. What is it?"

The artist pulled out her sketchbook from underneath the couch, opening it up and getting to work. 

"Kiibo, you watch that one livestreamer, right? Ouma Kokichi?" She asked, never looking up from her sketch.

One unique thing about Angie is how she can literally _never_ have a serious conversation without working on her art. No, really.One time I saw her talking to her girlfriend while sculpting purple clay into the silhouette of a bunny.

"Yes, I do! He's very entertaining."

"Well, I have some good news," She started, briefly glancing up from her work. "I started talking to him a few days ago and we decided to become business partners."

Business partners?

That means that they've teamed up- or became friends, at least.

They  _talked_ to each other. 

Ouma-kun... friends with Angie.

"Um... while I'm excited that you're friends with him and all now, how does that even work?"

"Hm? The business partners thing?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's just art and livestreams, right? How exactly do you put those kinds of media together?"

"Well, as you know, Kichi monetizes his videos on YouTube and earns money on Twitch from Twitch Bits and all, right? He even has his own merch and everything. Technically, he owns a business," She explained, erasing a few stray marks she had left on the paper. "I do commissions, monetize my YouTube videos, have my own merch... We decided to team up and join our businesses together. Art promoting his streams, streams promoting my art. Some of his merch designs are even gonna be drawn by me now!"

"This is... really confusing," I mumbled, twirling one of my hoodie strings around my finger. 

I wasn't actually all that confused. I just needed some time to process that nickname.

'Kichi...'

"Basically, it's a quid-quo-pro kinda thing. I don't think I need to say anything more, right, Kiibo?" Angie chuckled, giving me one of her signature smiles.

"O-Of course..."

My best friend knows Ouma Kokichi.

_My best friend knows Ouma Kokichi._

**_MY BEST FRIEND KNOWS OUMA_ _KOKICHI._**

I have so many questions.

What is he like? Is he sweet or is he a jerk? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he even  _into_ girls? 

I guess I'll just have to go ahead and ask her.

Oh, _God._

This is too much...!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finished this for kat >:(  
> i hope this isnt awful asdjfhbjkd sorry if this chapter let yall down


	4. 💖three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've never been a fan of parties, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I nicked the idea of Kokichi being a med student from KATastrofic222. sjjndsxjhbjcn I keep taking her ideas x,,D I'm sorry Kat
> 
> also the dumb fanboy stuff kiibo does in this chapter is EXACTLY what i do when i talk to or think about my crush so sorry fi it sounds weird sjiudhjks. i just freak out, okay? i'm weird.

The party started about half an hour later, groups of people swarming the living room then spilling over to the adjacent rooms. It had kept going until basically the whole house had been filled, yet somehow, the house never seemed crowded. How big even is this place?

I'm not an introvert, but I'm certainly not an extrovert. I'm somewhere in between. I don't like parties or crowded areas, but I do enjoy just going out with friends or socializing casually. It's kinda weird.

As the last clumps of people amassed in the vast rooms of the house, I shrank back into my own little space.

I heard a voice from behind me.

"I know you're not as fond of parties, so I asked Iruma-san to keep part of the house off-limits. It's upstairs to the left."

"Ah! Y-You scared me... But thank you, Toujo-san. Tell Iruma-san thank you if I don't see her again tonight, if you don't mind." 

"I apologize for startling you. But I will," Kirumi nodded, making her way back to the kitchen. 

"Thanks again!" I called to her, though it seems like she didn't hear me. I don't blame her, this house is filled with people. Can I even call this a house? This place seems more like a damn mansion to me.

One thing you might be wondering is, 'If you hate parties so much, then why do you attend them? You don't have to.'

Well, you're right. I  _don't_ have to, but I always feel bad rejecting my friends when they ask me to be a designated driver. I feel like it's a duty I have to fulfill as an Iidabashi.

It's silly, right? How I'm taking this whole thing so seriously? 

I think so too. 

But either way...

I don't bring much to the table. I feel like helping out my friends is all I'm really good for. 

Yes, I'm in college. A major in photography with a minor in robotics; I plan to get a masters in photography as well. 

But I'm not very good at anything else. 

I'm not some important model or artist like Miu or Angie, or some helpful maid like Kirumi.

I'm just Iidabashi Kiibo, a photographer. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I  _adore_ photography. It's not that I don't enjoy it. It's just that I don't think it's as useful as everyone else's occupation. 

Hell, even the video game streamer I watch almost everyday is studying to be something important. He's a freakin' med student! The same guy who yells at NPCs is studying to be a  _doctor!!!_

...And what am I?

Just Iidabashi Kiibo. 

A boring photography student. 

**~~**

I had spent about two hours in the room Miu had reserved for me before getting bored of the YouTube videos and mobile games I'd been watching and playing. 

I groaned, letting my face fall into one of the plush pillows right next to me. 

That's when I remembered... 

SHIT! Kokichi's livestream! Had I not gotten the notification?! 

I flipped to the screen containing the Twitch application, pressing the button as if my life depended on it. 

I breathed a sigh of relief; I was only a few minutes late to the stream. Kokichi always waits a few minutes before starting in order to accumulate viewers, so I was literally just in time. 

_"And that's eight milly viewers! Aaalrighty, then... Here we go, everyone!!!"_

I smiled at the sound of his voice. I'd been so caught up in my own cynical thoughts that I had forgotten about the boy I loved. 

The livestream had only been going for an hour, but each second added a hundred butterflies in my stomach.

I love his voice so much. I know I've rambled about this enough, but literally everything about this boy leaves me weak. He's the most perfect person alive.

I let out a sigh, giggling stupidly into the fluffy sheets of the bed. I grabbed a pillow, hugging it tightly. 

Would anyone hear me if I screamed into said pillow? 

It's loud down there. Nobody will hear me.

I took a deep breath, burying my face into it and proceeding to just  _yell._

After finishing up my short scream session, I rolled out of the position I was in, holding the pillow up to my chest. 

"I love him," I said to basically nobody, "I love him... so much..."

I simply continued watching the stream until the end. I felt bad for not sending any bits, but I was just too distracted by my own dumb fanboying to leave a coherent message. 

 _"Oop! Almost forgot to tell you guys,"_ Kokichi started, pausing his game.  

He paused his game? He usually makes announcements while he's playing.

_"I've buddied up with artist Angie Yonaga to help me out with my merch designs! I-"_

I nearly threw my phone at the wall.

Why am I so shocked? 

Angie already told me about this. I knew about this. I took my time internally freaking out about this already. 

Is it because he just said it himself? Did I not believe Angie? 

No, I definitely believed her. She's worked with even more famous influencers before.

God, what's wrong with me? It's not even my name he said. It's just the thought of Angie, my best friend, _talking_ and _working_ withthe boy I've loved for what seems like forever. 

What if she mentioned me? No, it's all business. Nothing too personal.

Oh, god. What if she DID mention me, though? What if-- 

_Click!_

Ah...!

"You jerking off to Kichi's livestream or something?" 

"You know very well that I'm not the type to do those sorts of things! Don't be ridiculous, Iruma-san!" I shouted in response, quickly sitting up. 

Wait.

SHE calls him 'Kichi' too?!

"W-Wait! You call him Kichi! Just like Angie does!" 

"Well, yeah. He's my friend too, ya know," Miu made her way inside, putting her hands on her hips. 

This is way too much. This is happening way too fast. 

"Any friend of Angie's is a friend of mine!" Miu exclaimed proudly, "I've spoken to him a while before they even teamed up. He's a pretty cool guy."

This is fucking insane.

"What's he like? Did you mention me? Does he want to talk to me?" 

"Slow _down_ ," She replied. "Yes, I mentioned you once, but you're not all we talk about. All he knows is that your Twitch handle is Iida_Kiibs, so he knows it's you when you donate."

I let myself fall back on the bed, a million more thoughts cramming themselves into my already packed mind. 

That also means that he probably saw that I didn't send a donation during his livestream.

That also means that he knows that I'm watching him every second he's streaming. 

That means that he can find any of my social media and  _I won't know._  

What about all those shady sites that provide personal info for creeps? Will he find me?! 

No, Ouma-kun is not that kind of person.

"Quit freaking out. You're practically hyperventilating," She smirked, "Anyways, you gonna head downstairs or what? Just give parties a try, Kiibs! Pleaaase?" She begged, desperately tugging on my arm.

"I-I'm sorry, Iruma-san, I don't like crowded areas. Y-You knows this..."

"Just try it! You can come back up here if you don't like it!"

"B-But Ouma-kun is still streaming--"

"I'll tell him that you were busy! He won't care, anyways. He barely knows you, Kiibo."

Youch. That stung a bit. 

...But she's right.

Ouma-kun doesn't even know me personally. 

I'm just a casual fan to him. He doesn't know me at all.

Will he care If I'm not watching? Will he even notice?!

"...Fine. I'll go. But just this once, Iruma-san," I sighed, sitting up awkwardly. I put my phone in my pocket, starting to make my way towards the door.

"Oh, you wanna leave your phone here?" Miu asked, pointing at the pocket containing said phone. 

"Ah... that'd be ideal," I replied nervously, taking it out and setting it on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Your camera, too. Don't want it getting damaged."

"How'd you know that I had it with me?!"

"You bring that thing everywhere. I'm not stupid, Kiibs," She laughed, yanking the camera bag off my shoulder. 

"Be gentle! That camera cost me a lot of money!"

"Then why buy it? You're always whining about the tuition. Save some money, ya dunce."

Good grief. 

Though Miu does possess a fair amount of smarts, she's not really the brightest when it comes to things like college.

After she made it big, she dropped out of college and quit pursuing her dream of becoming an inventor. Her college years are far behind her now, and while I'm proud of her for her fame, I find myself constantly scolding her for leaving behind her dream job. 

 _'I can't even remember a thing about my classes,'_ she always responds,  _'Besides, modeling suits me better, dontcha think?'_

"I think you forgot that I'm studying to be a photographer," I deadpanned, "I kind of need a camera to do projects and whatnot."

"Fair point, but why do ya bring it everywhere?"

"I'm constantly adding things to my portfolio."

"And why the minor in robotics?"

She can't remember my major in photography, but she can remember my minor in robotics...?

"Let's head downstairs before I change my mind," I grumbled, finally exiting the room.

I went down the stairs, walking into the living room. It was  _packed._

"...Wow," I whispered to myself, eyes wide at the huge amount of people. 

"'Wow' is right, Kiibs! It's lotsa people, but I promise you'll have lots of fun. Just this one night, pleaaase?"

"You begged enough up there, I already came down here. I might as well try it out."

"YES! Your first party, Kiibo! I'm so proud!"

Yep. My first party, indeed. 

This is gonna be one hell of a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK PROOFREADING SUCK MY LEFT NUT

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is always appreciated! It helps me improve my writing and also motivates me to write. :>


End file.
